Fire-Ready Homes · Checklist
Keep your home safe and insurable
McKenzie
Community
Partnership
Work top to bottom: the first steps stop embers, which start most home fires in wildfires, and they’re the cheapest. Check items off and take dated photos as you go.
1
The first 5 feet around the house · DIY · Free to $$ · Insurers look here first
- Swap bark mulch for gravel, rock or pavers
- Move plants and pots 5+ ft from walls
- Clear needles, leaves and debris
- Woodpile and lumber 30+ ft away
- Last 5 ft of fence is metal
- Doormats, cushions, bins put away
2
Roof and gutters · DIY · Free to $$$
- Roof and valleys clear of needles and moss
- Gutters cleaned (spring and fall)
- Branches trimmed back from the roof
- Roof is Class A (ask when replacing)
3
Vents · Often DIY · $
- Foundation vents: 1/8-inch metal mesh
- Eave, soffit and gable vents: 1/8-inch mesh
- Dryer vent flap works (no mesh)
- Consider ember-resistant vents
4
Decks and fences · DIY to contractor · $ to $$$
- Nothing stored under the deck
- Low deck sides enclosed with metal mesh
- Deck surface and gaps swept clean
- 6 inches of noncombustible at wall base
5
5 to 30 feet · DIY or hire · Free to $$
- Trees limbed up 6 to 10 ft
- Shrubs not under trees (ladder fuels)
- Space between shrubs and tree crowns
- Grass mowed short in fire season
6
30 to 100 feet · Hire or chipper day · $$ to $$$
- Dead trees and brush removed
- Small trees thinned
- Slash chipped or hauled, not piled
- Outbuildings cleared around too
7
Access for fire engines · DIY to contractor · Free to $$
- Address sign visible from the road
- Driveway clear ~12 ft wide, 13.5 ft high
- Turnaround space for an engine
- Gate code shared with fire district
Free home inspectionMcKenzie Fire & Rescue
541-896-3311
Insurance problem?Oregon DFR consumer help
888-877-4894
Guides and updatesmckenziecommunity.org
/fire-ready-homes/
Fire-Ready Homes · Photo log
Document your work
McKenzie
Community
Partnership
Insurers, grant programs and the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program ask for proof. Keep this sheet with your receipts and inspection reports.
Property address
Owner
Insurer and policy renewal date
How to take photos that count- Shoot all four sides of the house, standing far enough back to show the full 5-foot zone and the roofline.
- Take before and after photos from the same spots. Turn on your phone’s date stamp or keep the originals, which store the date.
- Add close-ups: vents, gutters, under the deck, where fences meet the house, the base of the siding.
- Repeat each spring and fall, even when nothing changed. A maintenance record shows the work is ongoing.
| Date | Work done (step #) | Photos (file names) | Cost / receipt | Who did it / notes |
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Fire district inspection date
Inspector
Insurer contacted (date, name, result)